Haunted By The Mares Of Night.
by Hobbits Angel
Summary: Takes place in CoS, Ginny keeps getting reoccuring nightmares (note- the title?) and for once the dreamless sleep potion *isn't* working. Madam Pomfrey despairs. And only one person can help - the potions master.


UNTITLED.  
  
Disclaimer: All characters belong to J. K. Rowling.  
  
A scream pierced the quiet night of Hogwarts, but no one woke, the hospital wing was well placed away from the dormitories.  
  
Ginny lay pale, her freckles standing out on her cheeks, her brown eyes staring above at the ceiling, wide and frightened. She gave a start as Madame Pomfrey drew the curtains back.  
  
"What's the matter, dear?" she asked, although she could tell.  
  
Ginny lay still, her lips moving but barely a whisper coming out.  
  
"Nightmares?"  
  
Ginny nodded.  
  
As Madame Pomfrey moved away, she was worried. That was the third time her dreamless sleeping potion hadn't worked, and there was only one person who could do something about.  
  
Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber for ever.  
  
Ginny drew back and looked at the words, shuddering. For a few seconds she was back to her normal self, `What are you doing? Go to McGonagall.' But Tom came back, `I'm coming,' she whispered, her feet taking her towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. Myrtle looked up as she entered and disappeared back into the U bend. She found herself beside a tap with a tiny copper snake written on it, an opening appeared and she slid down it, landing on the stone, metres under the castle. She passed the giant green snake skin and stopped for an instant, almost turning round.  
  
"I SAID COME!" Tom's voice echoed round her head. Her feet began moving forwards and desperately she turned back around to face the tunnel, summoning all her strength to throw off Tom. It didn't work. Her last hope, go back Ginny, go back.  
  
"I SAID COME!"  
  
Ginny still lay, pale and resolute, her eyes still staring at the ceiling.  
  
"I've always been easily led on. I'm too vulnerable, that's how I got the diary. I'm a weakling." Her fists clenched on the memory of Tom.  
  
Ginny felt weak, her strength seemed to draining from her. Tom was standing, hazy, watching her with his laughing eyes.  
  
"I'm not going to die," she whispered. "I'm not going to die."  
"Aren't you? Could have fooled me. I'll just wait for Harry."  
  
"Harry isn't going to die either," she felt light-headed; her remaining strength was leaving her swiftly.  
  
"Don't worry Ginny. You are my helper; your name will go down in history. Two Voldemorts running loose. Havoc and chaos will run wild. The world will be mine; people will fear me once again. Harry will die and you're the person that made come back as a 16 year old."  
"No." Ginny's lips moved and her voice was so quiet, her strength left her, she fainted.  
  
Ginny started shaking all over, she couldn't stop. You are such an idiot; didn't you trust that diary? Didn't you write everything down? Why didn't you throw it away? Why didn't you throw it away after you stole it back from Harry?  
  
A tear slowly trickled down her cheek; she was so stupid, so helpless.  
  
Jet-black hair, laughing eyes, cruel leering face... The face that inhabited her nightmares...  
  
She gave a faint moan, she summoned her strength to sit up, and still thinking Tom was there. She gazed around, a dead green giant thing, her eyes travelled to a noise she heard. She gasped, Harry was hurrying towards her, his robes soaked in dirt, ink and something that looked like, was blood... And her, Tom's diary in one hand.  
  
Tears started pouring down her face, she couldn't stop them.  
  
"Harry-oh, Harry - I tried to tell you at breakfast, but I c-couldn't say it in front of Percy. It was me, Harry- but I- I- s-swear I d-didn't mean to- Riddle made me, he took over me- and - how did you get that thing? W-where's Riddle? The last thing I remember is him coming out the diary-"  
  
"It's alright," Harry held up the diary and showing her the hole. "Riddle's finished! Look! Him and the Basilisk. C'mon, Ginny, lets get out of here..."  
  
"I'm going to be expelled," she sobbed as Harry pulled her to her feet. "I've wanted to come to Hogwarts ever since B-Bill came and now I'll have to leave and - what'll Mum and Dad say?"  
  
She barely noticed the scenery around her, the dead snake, the doors, she was so upset. "I'm going to get expelled," she kept thinking.  
  
She pushed Ron off when they met up with him and barely heard and Lockhart.  
  
And then the phoenix pulled them back up the tunnel and led the way to McGonagall's office. To her fate, to be expelled...  
  
She heard footsteps echoing from the hall into the hospital wing. She listened carefully, recognising one as Madame Pomfrey's and the other... I'll put it this way, she didn't like what she heard, and not what is said below!  
  
"So you're saying the dreamless potion hasn't worked for three times on her?"  
  
"Yes and..."  
  
She listened carefully to Harry's tale, wanting to know how he had saved her, in her mother's arms, tears still trickling down her cheeks. And then later she was led away to the hospital wing and she hadn't thanked Harry. As she walked from the room, or half dragged by her parents, she turned back to Harry and mouthed `thanks' and she swore he had noticed, because he looked in her direction and smiled a small smile.  
  
"I think I know what to do, just leave her to me Poppy."  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yes."  
  
Footsteps towards her bed, she glimpsed Tom in her mind, those cruel laughing eyes.  
  
Ironic, she thought, as Madame Pomfrey stopped again and started talking, how she have given everything for Harry to have spoken to her, a few months ago and now he had and saved her life.  
  
Her remaining strength left her and she fainted in front of the statue. Her spirit hovered above.   
  
About five minutes later Harry appeared, he and Tom had a heated conversation, Harry's green eyes blazed with fury. Tom had his wand. And then the statue opened and a giant, bright green snake with blazing yellow eyes appeared. Her mouth opened, she screamed but no one heard. Tom was hissing, he could speak Parseltongue and the snake advanced on Harry, who backed against the wall. She watched in horror. It uncoiled himself and moved towards Harry, he had his eyes shut running blindly across the floor, running away from the snake. Tom was laughing, that cold laugh he had. Ginny screamed again. Harry had tripped, he was going to die and it was all her fault... The snake reared up, bared its long fangs and dived. The phoenix had disappeared. She closed her eyes. She heard Harry's shriek of pain, she opened her eyes for a fleeting second. Harry's robes were completely blood soaked and the snake had blood on its long, sharp fangs.   
  
"I've killed Ginny, I've killed Harry, who stands in my way now? Two Voldemorts running loose, the world of terror and its all in my control..." Tom was laughing, cold and high, his face was shining with triumph, his eyes were laughing and his whole face was screaming that he was victorious. His outline was completely solid, he was alive and that meant that... She glanced towards herself, she was pale, as white as a ghost, her freckles clearly standing out, her eyes closed, she was dead.  
  
The secret chamber, a late teen boy laughing, a giant green snake standing beside him, its fangs moulded into a kind of smile, a blood stained boy lying on the floor, a pale girl lying beside a statue...  
  
Further up after waiting over three hours Ron was sobbing, he knew it, they were both dead. He went back to the passage and forced Lockhart to go up, forcing his way up, finding footholds and cracks. Tears still tearing down his face, he dragged Lockhart to McGonagall's office. One look at their sons face, her parents sobbed loudly, everybody was crying, most of the school and Tom ruled Hogwarts. Two Voldemorts and they ruled the world... (this is her nightmare)  
  
The dream that inhabited her nights, her thoughts and moulded it so it could be seen with her eyes closed.  
  
The curtains surrounding her bed opened and she knew who it was. Greasy black hair, sallow skin and dark eyes that had a hint of concern in them. Snape.  
  
She turned her head away; his hair was so much like Tom's now that she thought about it.  
  
That cold, leering laugh. She shuddered again.  
  
"Why does he haunt me so? Why can't he leave me alone?"  
  
"Because he's your nightmare, your worst fear."  
She jumped, she hadn't known she had voiced her thoughts aloud, and she had forgotten about Snape.  
  
"Think I don't know that?" her voice came back.  
  
"Why ask then?"  
  
Because I'm stupid, I'm an idiot, because I almost brought Voldemort back.  
  
"Tell me what you have dreamed."  
"And what and why would you want to know?" her voice was cold, but she had barely said that when she made up her mind, she was. She told him everything and the last thing she knew before she fell into a dreamless, peaceful, no-Tom sleep was Snape holding her hand, waiting for her to sleep.  
  
What do you think of all the flashbacks? And now kind readers, you are going to REVIEW. Thanks! Um, I wrote this ages ago and I'm posting it cos I think it's OK, except maybe the end bit... 


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